Troubleshooting Problems With Your Heat Pump

A heat pump that doesn’t turn on is a fairly common and easily remedied problem. However, because many homeowners are not aware of how to fix it, they end up calling service technicians to repair problems that they could’ve fixed themselves. For example, some of the issues that can be easily repaired by homeowners include:

A thermostat that wasn’t set properly

An emergency or shut off switch that is turned off

A blown fuse in the panel box

A tripped circuit breaker or one that is switched off

A tripped outdoor reset button

Being “locked out” of the unit

So, before making that service call, here are some of the things that you can do to help you fix small problems and determine if further action needs to be taken:

Check all the emergency switches to see if they are off.

Check the breakers (for both indoor and outdoor equipment) to make sure all appliance switches are in the on position.

If the outdoor unit has a “reset button” press it. If that temporarily fixes the problem, but you have to press the reset button a second time, then the problem is more serious and a service call will be needed.

Reset the system by turning it off with the thermostat or breaker if your unit has a safety device locking it out. Wait 60 seconds and turn it back on. It may take up to 10 minutes for the outdoor unit to start.

Although troubleshooting helps homeowners deal with minor issues dealing with their heat pump, there are many problems that do need the attention of a professional. These include:

Broken thermostat

Faulty contractor

Malfunctioning time delay relay

A flawed thermostat cable

Unit being off due to an open safety device (low or high temperature, low or high pressure)